Page 84 of One Cornish Summer With You
Lola was back in a moment and put the mobile on the bedside cabinet.
‘Thanks. For everything,’ Tammy managed.
‘You’re very welcome. When you feel better, we’ll have a proper catch-up. You need to take better care of yourself, lovely.’
‘I will. Can you make sure the door is closed properly on your way out? It must have been left open or you wouldn’t have been able to get in.’ She didn’t want anyone disturbing her.
‘I will.’ She blew a kiss and Tammy heard the door close with a soft click.
After sending Davey a message to tell him she had a migraine but just needed to sleep it off, she lay back and waited for the pain and nausea to ease. Despite feeling so horrible, she was certain she’d be unable to rest after the news she’d just received. It was impossible.
Now the seed of doubt had been sown, she found it hard to look on Davey as anything but her birth father and that would mean he’d lied to her for her whole life. Why had he done it?
If Walter’s allegations were true, he must have got the idea for them from somewhere.
So now she was left wondering who her father really was – and if the foundations of her life had been built on a lie.
Lola’s pills must have been stronger than Tammy expected, because sleep overtook her and the next thing she knew, her phone was buzzing with a message from Lola. Pushing herself up on the pillows, she felt fragile and thirsty but mercifully pain free – and also determined to find out the truth about her mother, father and Davey.
Even if that meant facing up to her mother and confronting Davey at a time in his life when he didn’t need any more complications, she had to find out the truth.
CHAPTER FORTY
Ruan had hated having to leave Tammy but she’d insisted he go. Having already lobbed one bombshell into her life, he’d felt terrible that he’d handed over another.
He’d messaged her the previous evening and she’d said she was OK. No matter how strong the urge to go round and comfort her, he had to respect her need for some space to take in the contents of the note.
He also had work to do. Polly Tremain was on his client list that morning so he found himself walking into her stable yard while keeping a safe distance from Lucifer.
Even under his mistress’s firm hand, ‘Lucey’ was stamping and snorting and eyeing Ruan with a look that matched his name. Several other horses were peering out of their stables to see what all the fuss was about. An older man in jodhpurs and a teenage girl were brushing the yard. There was a pungent smell and Ruan tried not to wrinkle his nose.
‘Morning,’ Polly said. ‘This is an unexpected pleasure.’
‘Good morning,’ Ruan said, judging what would be a safe yet discreet distance. He dreaded being invited to give Lucifer an apple or to stroke him. ‘Thanks for taking the time to see me.’
‘I’ve always time for you, and your lovely young woman.How is she? Still basking in the triumph of her designs at the festival? My daughter told me how “cool” they were, and my stable girl waxed lyrical about them too.’
‘Tammy’s too modest to bask,’ Ruan said, fearing that Tammy had never been ‘his’ lovely young woman and certainly didn’t seem to be at the moment. ‘But I’ll pass on your kind comments.’
‘Good. Don’t let her get away, will you?’
‘I’ll try very hard not to.’
Lucifer let out such a loud snort that Ruan almost dropped his laptop bag.
Polly tutted and then soothed the horse. ‘Now, now, Lucey, calm down, it’s only that handsome young lawyer from Gaverne’s.’
Ruan smiled weakly. Polly might be joking but she made him feel embarrassed all the same.
‘Don’t look so nervous,’ she said ominously to Ruan, stroking the horse’s muzzle. ‘Lucey can sense fear. I’ll have my stable girl take him so we can do business. I’m guessing you’ll feel more comfortable if he’s not looking over our shoulders.’
The stable girl took Lucifer away, his hooves ringing on the cobbles.
‘Would you mind if we went somewhere private?’ Ruan asked.
Polly raised her eyebrows. ‘That sounds serious, though I assure you my horses are souls of discretion. You haven’t made some massive bollocks of my affairs already, have you, and Hector’s sent you to grovel? I thought it was a bit OTTthat you came out here to collect some papers I could easily have dropped in the post. I hope I’m not being charged for the privilege of seeing your handsome face?’
Ruan had to laugh. ‘Nothing like that and no, you aren’t being charged. Hector doesn’t actually know I’m here. I called in on my way from seeing another client.’
